Recently, interworking between 3GPP and WLAN as proposed by 3GPP Release-12 aims to enhance core network based WLAN offloading so as to improve user quality of experience (QoE), increase network utilization, and provide more controls for network operators. These improvements, as characterized by 3GPP RP-150510 for example, may further be enhanced by aggregating a Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication system with WLAN as well as even further inter-working enhancements between LTE and WLAN which are relevant to both co-located and non-co-located deployment scenarios.
FIG. 1 illustrates a communication system 100 in which a LTE communication system interworks with a WLAN. The communication system 100 includes not limited to a LTE eNB 101, a WLAN termination node 102 having a wireless WLAN radio coverage 104, and a user equipment (UE) 103. The WLAN termination node (WTN) 102 may further include not limited to one or multiple access points (APs). The UE 103 could be a multiple connection capable UE which is capable of connecting to different radio access technologies such as LTE, WLAN, and so forth. The UE 103 may initiate a WLAN measurement and subsequently generating a WLAN measurement report. The eNB 101 may configure the UE 103 for performing a WLAN measurement, and such configuration may include not limited to frequency for performing WLAN measurement, a WLAN channel, a WLAN identifier, and so forth.
The wireless service to the UE 103 by the eNB 101 as well as by the aforementioned group of APs as the result of the mobility of the UE 103 could be controlled by the eNB 101, and such control could be implemented in response to receiving measurement report of WLAN 102 from the UE 103 as previously proposed in 3GPP RAN2#90. By implementing network-controlled WLAN selection, the eNB 101 would still be in full control of the AP selection and WLAN mobility, and thus the eNB 101 would control AP selections, AP removals and AP additions based on the received WLAN measurement reports which are configured for the serving and the neighbor APs for each target WLAN channel. Such eNB 101 control could be suspended or interrupted by user preference such as by switching off the WLAN modem, the interruption of the WLAN network, and so forth. Consequently, a network may need to consider user preference under the circumstance when the eNB 101 has full control of the AP selection and WLAN mobility of the UE 103. Failing to consider user preference could potentially be problematic.
To elucidate in further detail, an example is provided. Suppose that an eNB initiates the aggregation or interworking between the LTE and WLAN or interworking based on a measurement report from an UE. The UE may then perform a connection with a WLAN termination node after the UE receives a command from the eNB or the network (i.e., Network-Controlled WLAN mobility). The command from the eNB may include not limited to a steering command (e.g. R13 LTE+WLAN interworking enhancement) and aggregation configuration (e.g. R13 LTE+WLAN aggregation). However, the UE may not be able to comply with the eNB's command or could fail to connect or establish with the WLAN termination node because of circumstances such as the WLAN module being occupied, the result of a user preference or action, current condition of the WLAN, and etc. Since certain user preferences or actions could make the aggregation or interworking impossible when requested by the network, the circumstance under which the UE does not permit use of the WLAN although commanded from the network may need to be considered.